Chapter 44: Beneath the Canopy, Beyond the Reach

The jungle loomed dense and heavy around them, its canopy casting deep shadows over the narrow path that stretched beyond the southern gate. Liya and her student, Mica, rode in tense silence, their horses’ hooves muffled by the soft underbrush. They had met at the gate without a word, each understanding the urgency of the task ahead. But after covering some distance, the silence grew too thick for the student to bear.

“Master,” she finally asked, her voice low but curious, “why did we choose the south gate? Wouldn’t the northern or eastern routes be better options? After all, most of the disappearances occurred in those areas. Am I wrong, or did I miss something essential?”

Liya didn’t respond immediately. Her gaze remained fixed on the trail ahead -- or rather, just beneath it. Her eyes scanned the forest floor carefully, as if reading a story written in broken leaves and disrupted soil, trying to discern what path to take next. Their movements were unhinged, despite the damp, thick undergrowth around them. Just going to show how experienced Liya was in such matters.

“Luka’s father’s team often took this route when foraging,” she replied, her tone calm and factual. “The woods near the southern gate are safer and richer in resources. They’ve always been the preferred path for resource gathering operations.”

Mica frowned. “Then... the disappearances happened here too?”

“Yes,” Liya said without turning. “Men disappearing during foraging operations isn't uncommon; it comes with the job description, especially in these parts. However, the foresters are among the few who are well-versed in these areas. I heard that one of their ancestors was an early explorer who charted these untamed lands in the past, and many among their group have accumulated similar accolades ever since then. That said, the last incident took place not far from this area. If Luka followed logic based on the intel he had, by far this is the most likely path he would’ve chosen.”

“Then why didn’t we just leave together from the garrison? Why split only to meet at the gate?”

“I needed more details about the incident -- about Luka, and the people he met before vanishing,” Liya explained. “Although I barely had time to get a proper interrogation, I did ask around. Cross-referenced accounts as much as I could in the limited time we had before departure. After piecing it all together, I was certain that this was the right direction. A hunch I already had, but I wanted to be sure before leaving.”

She paused, then added as if reading from the earth itself, “Judging by the trail, the boy’s barefoot and is most likely carrying some luggage. Something small enough to carry essentials. Not large enough to hinder barefoot travel, yet big enough to carry what is needed. He’s heading toward the site where the last crew disappeared.”

Mica’s brows shot up. “You can tell all that just from...?”

“Not quite child, even I am not that great, nor am I a fortune teller. I’ve been following his trail since we left and just corroborating the intel I already possess,” Liya admitted. “You didn’t notice the trail?”

Mica flushed slightly. “No, I didn’t. I was too focused on keeping up and enjoying the scenery.”

“Careful, child,” Liya warned, her tone sharpening. “Don’t drift too far, wondering. These woods might seem calm, but there’s danger in every shadow. One misstep, and you could vanish without a sound.”

Heeding the warning, Mica stayed closer to her master, her senses now sharpened by the eerie weight of the jungle. The deeper they rode, the thicker the undergrowth became. Birds chirped in irregular patterns, as if disturbed by something unseen. Now and then, the wind carried faint noises--none of them friendly.

Eventually, they reached the location where Sebeth had once discovered the remains of the missing foraging team. Though the military had cleared the scene days ago, faint traces lingered -- signs too subtle for untrained eyes, but not for Liya.

The two dismounted silently. Liya surveyed the area with practised caution before speaking.

“Stay close and search for any clues. Anything out of place, let me know. Don’t wander -- we move together once this area is exhausted.”

Mica nodded and began scanning the forest floor. They both refrained from using magic, something Liya had taught Mica way back in the past. Even for skilled mages like Liya, it was risky to channel mana in hostile territory. Predatory beasts in these woods were highly attuned to mana fluctuations. No matter how sophisticated a spell might be, it couldn’t outwit a creature that hunted by sensing magical energy.

Fortunately, this was a down season -- mana density had waned, and most such creatures had migrated elsewhere. Still, stragglers remained. And those were often the most vicious as they competed for whatever mana was still lingering around for gaining dominance, even if it was by a little margin.

That was why they relied on physical observation and instinct rather than detection magic.

For a while, everything went smoothly -- until Mica spotted something unusual in the underbrush, just past a crooked tree.

Curious, she moved closer, brushing aside a hanging vine to get a clearer picture of what lay ahead.

What she saw made her gasp in shock.

“...the hell?! What are you doing here?!”

Both of them startled at the same time, equally flustered by seeing each other out of the blue.

Their voices rang out like thunder in the otherwise quiet forest.

Liya’s head snapped up at the noise. Her figure blurred into motion as she rushed toward Mica, appearing within moments. Her expression was tight, unreadable, but her aura pulsed with irritation. She stopped beside them and looked directly at Arc.

Her voice was controlled, but cold.

“Explain yourself?”

Arc came clean almost immediately, seeing as there was no way out.

“I heard rumours from the guards,” he admitted, “and I felt responsible for what happened.”

Liya’s expression hardened.

“This isn’t a safe zone, boy,” she said sternly. “It’s far too dangerous for you. You’re not ready for such excursions yet.”

They were already deep into the jungle, far from the safety of the Crafer base. Heading back now would waste precious time they no longer had. After a pause -- long enough for her to weigh the risks -- Liya made her decision.

“You’re coming with us,” Arc's expression lightened as Liya said those words. “As for your punishment, we will decide that later." his face shrank immediately after hearing the rest of the sentence. As she was just about to turn, she had a lingering question in her mind, and so she asked, "Arc, but tell me something -- how did you even find us? I can imagine how you reached the gate, but beyond that... how did you track us through this mess?”

Arc nodded, brushing leaves off his shoulder as he explained. “I followed the trail your horses left. It worked for a while... but the forest was denser than I expected, and not long after that I got lost pretty quickly.”

He hesitated, then continued, his voice quieter.

“I panicked, but then I realised- I could use the detection spell. Not the regular version... it could not work in this setup even if I wanted to. It would give me a lot of false positives and all. I had to modify it to patch the blind spots. And it took some work figuring it all out. But all in all, it worked out pretty well in the end, I must say.”

He kept on rambling about the minor details, not realising the sudden shift in his teacher's mood.

“You used what?” Liya asked, her voice dropping into a sharp edge.

Arc, not realising what mistake he had committed, began to explain the situation to her.

“I tweaked the spell. The basic principle is still the same,” Arc said quickly. “The effective range wasn’t enough, so I adjusted the number of vertices to improve directionality on the traversing sound, which let me extend the range a bit further. But honestly, the spell barely worked--it only gave me a vague sense of my surroundings, not to mention the mana I was burning and the intense mental focus it required... man, that was tough to pull off. It needed more mana than usual, but my reserves have improved since yesterday. By the way, you were right when you said this spell was good at mid-range. I can now see what you meant to tell me that day. Anyways, I was about to cast it again when Mica caught me.”

Liya stepped toward him, her face a mask of rising fury. She cut him off mid-ramble.

“Stop. Splitting hairs over the detail and more specifically, how many times did you use it?”

"About three to four times so far. I was about to cast my fifth attempt before I got caught."

“You fool,” Liya whispered, an emotion flickering in her voice that Mica had never heard before-- genuine anger. “Do you have any idea what kind of place we’re in? You’re lucky nothing hunted you down already for that tomfoolery.”

Arc frowned, his pride pricked. Like many crafters, his intellect was sacred -- an extension of himself.

“I’m no fool,” he defended. “I know noise can attract predators. I masked the spell’s auditory signature with ambient birdsong -- species common to these parts. That way, it’d blend into the environment. The spell itself is hard to detect, even magically.”

But something in the distance shifted.

Mica, who had been standing watch while the two argued in hushed tones, raised her hand sharply.

“Shhh. Did you hear that?” she whispered.

Arc and Liya stopped and turned to her simultaneously. “What is it?”

Mica moved closer, voice hushed and low. “Is it just me, or does it feel too quiet. Ever since you two started bickering, the forest’s gone still. No birds. No insects. Nothing.”

Liya’s eyes narrowed. She immediately understood what was happening.

“Where are the horses?” she asked sharply.

“They were just--” Mica turned, but her sentence died halfway. The animals that were standing at a distance not too long ago were now gone without any trace. Not a hoofprint or snort in sight.

“This is bad,” Liya muttered. Her hand went to her waist and pulled free a slender dagger, which she passed to Arc. His blade was more tool than weapon. It was something he had borrowed from the workshop right before departing.

“Take this.”

With no better option left, Liya prepared a detection spell -- not for scouting, but survival. She signalled Mica with a subtle nod and began spreading a thin layer of mana across the terrain. The field expanded slowly, cautiously, like a ripple in still water, so as not to alert anything nearby.

Inch by inch, the radius grew. A brief smile flickered on her face. Then it vanished.

She stopped suddenly. Her eyes darkened.

“We’re being surrounded,” she said, voice low. “From nearly all sides.”

If she had been alone -- or if their numbers had been fewer -- she could’ve managed. But any attack now would alert the whole cluster. She might survive the first wave... but Arc and Mica would be overrun.

“Listen closely,” she ordered. “When I give the signal, do not question, just run due east. That path has the fewest creatures. I’ll clear the way. Once you’re out, I’ll deal with the rest.”

Mica nodded instantly, understanding the weight of the moment. “Yes, Master.”

Arc glanced around nervously. “What are these things, anyway? I just noticed one at a distance,” he said. “They were climbing trees…”

“Not Sonabears,” Liya replied. “Those don’t move in packs. Based on the movement patterns... Echomaws. Darn, this stretch of jungle is part of their territory.”

That explained the unnatural silence. The tension between trees. The cold bit even through midday heat.

“Now!” Liya shouted.

Her spell surged. The detection field flared outward to full intensity as she unleashed a multi-pronged wind spell in every direction, staying clear of the path her students took, yet with concentrated force toward the east, creating a narrow path of safety.

Arc and Mica didn’t wait. They sprinted, blades drawn, slicing through underbrush and any straggling threats that dared remain.

Liya stayed behind.

The creatures didn’t chase the students -- not yet. They turned toward the greatest source of mana. Towards Liya.

Predators hunted for food. These creatures hunted for mana. Liya, the strongest among them, was the richest prize. She made sure that didn’t change. She unleashed another wave of detection magic, this time as a flare -- a beacon -- as a taunt -- to draw their hunger fully to her.

It worked. Even the rare few who had targeted the students were now drawn to Liya, their primal instincts ignited -- they came at her in full fury.

Leaves rustled violently above. Trees bent unnaturally. Shadows moved in synchronised formation, crawling along the canopy.

Still, amidst the chaos, something went wrong.

Both headed due east as their master had instructed, but in their bid for safety, they lost sight of each other's whereabouts. It happened so quickly that neither realised what was going on around them. The threat was not over, and Arc was not ready to give up yet. There were things to do--things to achieve--a long, fulfilling life to live ahead of him. As these thoughts lingered in his mind, his foot landed on a slippery moss-covered rock. He lost his balance and slipped down a cascading slope. Luckily, he landed safely, suffering only minimal grazes at best. Arc and Mica, separated in the chaos, lost each other once more. Arc stood up, taking in his surroundings for the first time. That was when he noticed he was alone, and Mica was nowhere to be seen. As for the screeching, howling creatures, they were also nowhere to be found. "Judging by the fact that I’m not being followed, it looks like I’m out of their territory. Good, safe for now."

A territory not of one means a territory of another, but of whom? Is Arc safe, or will adversity strike again? To be continued.

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